278 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



REPORT FROM CENTRAL EXPERIMENT STATION (HORTICUL- 

 TURAL DEPARTMENT.) 



BY SAMUEL B. GREEN, SUPERINTENDENT. 



The past year has been one of marked progress in this department, and 

 the outlook is very bright for more helpful work in the future. 



1 have been and am on the outlook for aids to advance the efficiency of 

 our experiment work. Features which I think could easily 

 be introduced, and would result in increased helpfulness to the work, may 

 be outlined as follows: 



1st. Cut down the experiment stations of the horticultural society to 

 not over seven in number, and let these be carried on by parties who will 

 make an annual report to the horticultural society and to the central ex- 

 periment station. 



2nd. Make these experiment stations sub-stations under the horticul- 

 tural department of the central station. 



3rd. These stations to be supplied, free of cost and transportation, 

 with material for experiments through the central station. This shall 

 consist of any suitable surplus material propagated by the central and the 

 Owatonna and other stations, and such other material as may be bought 

 by the central station for this purpose. 



4th. The superintendents of all the sub-stations of the horticultural 

 society shall matoe reports, and have their railroad fares paid to the 

 annual meeting of the horticultural society by the society, providing they 

 attend the same. 



5th. The work of each sub-station shall be defined by the executive 

 committee of the horticultural society. 



6th. Any superintendent of sub-station failing, for two consecutive 

 years, to make a report as required above, shall be discontinued. I think 

 the introduction of some such plan as this would result in greater useful- 

 ness for the experiment stations and aid much in the development of our 

 horticultural interests. 



Note. — It is probable that the efficiency of the work of the several sta- 

 tions will be increased if their work is not too much scattered, but is 

 rather specialized. 



BURNING OF EXPERIMENTAL STATION BUILDING. 



By the burning of our office building October last, the regular work of 

 the station staff has been quite seriously interfered with. Some of the 

 members lost valuable records and collections. A new building has been 

 commenced and is now near completion, which will give the chemical 

 department of both school and experiment station most excellent quar- 

 ters, while a building is contemplated to be put up the coming summer 

 which will furnish much better facilities to all members of the station 

 staff than those occupied heretofore. 



FREE DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS &C. 



Thirty packages of desirable plants have been distributed the past year 

 to various parties interested in the advancement of horticultural science. 



Most of the material came from our station nursery ; some was bought 

 for the purpose and the Owatonna experiment station contributed Green- 



